An increasing number of people own and use camcorders to make videos that capture their experiences and document their lives. Multimedia editing applications (MEA) allow users to bring new life to such videos via their personal computer by bringing professional video and audio editing to personal computers. However, MEAs are not always user friendly and users who are less experienced with such applications may be overwhelmed.
The first step in editing video and audio material with an MEA is importing a video and/or an audio stream from a source to a computer storing the MEA. This process of importing video and/or audio streams to the computer is also known as capturing. The next step is converting the video and audio data contained in the respective stream into the appropriate format (i.e., digital) for storage on the computer as individual files or clips. Traditional MEAs include a library or a bin in which the user can assemble and organize clips stored on disk, view the name and a thumbnail of each clip, and preview their contents. Each clip can then be edited, and dragged to a timeline or storyboard to assemble a production.
The centerpiece of any video editing tool is the storyboard or the timeline in which the user arranges the video or audio production. This allows the user to organize the video and audio clips, insert transitions between them, and apply special effects, and add titles and background audio. The consolidated video or audio production can then be saved or “published” to the hard drive of the computer or to an external storage medium such as a DVD or CD. In addition, the consolidated video or audio production can be played on a monitor or speakers, respectively, linked with the computer.
Traditional MEAs have emphasized ease of use by constraining the user interface, simplifying the layout process, restricting the number of parallel tracks, and providing a step-by-step process for adding effects. However, a number of design choices are made prior to capturing video and audio material and prior to publishing the consolidated video and audio material (i.e., production). These choices include resolution, frame rate, and bit rate. These parameters can determine the amount of disk space used, image quality and playback rate.
In fact, in order to use the MEA effectively, MEAs often require the user to define profiles specifying parameters for capturing video and audio material, and for publishing the consolidated video and audio material. However, defining a profile for capturing and for publishing can be a daunting task for novice users, especially if the user does not know or understand the meaning of resolution, frame rate, bit rate, etc.
For these reasons, there is a need for an MEA that allows the user to easily capture and publish their video and audio material at the appropriate quality and/or size for what they are trying to achieve. Moreover, the capturing and publishing process should be accomplished without requiring the user to have knowledge of bit rates, resolution, frame rates, compression formats, etc.